the jester's pub

Einstein is Cool

Albert Einstein was not a Jesus follower but this little video is awesome. 

Just LIke That!

Funny stuff! Love to all you youth pastors out there!

The Outcasts

I recently finished reading the book, In the Sanctuary of Outcasts, by Neil White. It is the story of a New Orleans socialite who goes to prison for bank fraud. He is sentenced to a year in Carville minimum security prison in Carville, LA. What is unique about this prison is it is also home to hundreds of leper patients. Carville prison was also the United States last leprosarium at the time(It is no longer open). It is a story of one man's redemption through the outcasts and how these leper patients change his life. Originally repulsed by them and afraid he would catch the disease from them he moves to a place of love for these people, and is transformed by their care for him.

He goes to church with these people, takes communion with them, and sees God's love through them. One of the poignant moments in the book is when he shares about a leper patient who is in church and is reading a braille bible with his tongue because he is blind and has no feeling left in his hands. That convicted me.

Isn't it amazing how God speaks through the outcasts of society, confronts our insecurities through them, and shows us our own weaknesses through them. Jesus calls us to them, challenges us to enter their reality and I truly believe it is as much for our benefit as it is for theirs. We are transformed through their pain, and I think in them we are reminded about our own frailty, our own lostness, our own brokenness and the hope for all things to be made new.

Here is a video promoting the book:

True Power

"When the church tries to embody the rule of God in the forms of earthly power it may achieve that power, but it is no longer a sign of the Kingdom. But when it goes the way the Master went, unmasking and challenging the powers of darkness and bearing in its own life the cost of their onslaught, then there are given to the Church signs of the Kingdom, powers of healing and blessing which, to eyes of faith, are recognizable as true signs that Jesus reigns. All of this is portrayed in the New Testament as forming the substance of the mission to the nations. The mission is an expression of the authority Jesus has on earth and in heaven as he sits at God's right hand. It is manifest in the powers which the presence of the Spirit confers on the church so that it becomes-both in it's words and deeds--a witness to the reign of Jesus. And mighty works are promised as part of the fulfillment of the mission." -Leslie Newbigin

I have often wondered why the church so often strives to gain political power or any other type of earthly power, Jesus never did. Think about how the church has seen it's mission accomplished in the past under hostile conditions.

Early Christians vs. the Roman Empire

Modern Christians vs. Communist China

Just a few examples of the church with no "power" but relying on God and He did amazing things.

Do we trust Him to do the same now?

Hall of Fame Character

Rod Woodson was one of the most amazing cornerbacks and safeties that ever played in the NFL and for the Pittsburgh Steelers. My wife also taught all of his kids how to swim and babysat them, so we have a personal connection to Rod. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame tonight and his speech was awesome. He was bold about his faith, here are some excerpts:

"But first I want to thank my lord, Jesus Christ. He's my savior. He died for my sins and my salvation, and really without him I would not be here. He believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. I mean, I lived in this world for a long time, and I truly thank him for guiding me for so long, and keeping me safe even when I didn't realize it was him. I really thank him. And without his mercy, without his love, and without his compassion for me as a person, as a human being, as one of his children, I wouldn't be here. So I say, thank you Jesus."

"So I will leave you today to talk about choices or choice. Remember to choose or the choices you make in our lives will build our destinies that we make. Choices made throughout our lives were also determine our destiny. Matthew 22:14, many are called, few are chosen. God has given us a gift to choose. It's a power that we normally don't talk about. I leave you today with these thoughts. Choose. Choose to love rather than hate. Choose to create rather than to destroy. Choose to persevere rather than quit. Choose to praise rather than gossip. Choose to heal rather than wound. Choose to pray, rather than curse. Choose to live, rather than die. Choose Jesus Christ over the world. God bless you."

Finding My Way

I have always struggled with prayer. It is my constant battle, one I lose often. Tomorrow I have to preach on prayer and I am nervous because I want to say what is in my heart and hope that others benefit from it. Here are some quotes from the message from C.S. Lewis' struggle with prayer:

“Often when I pray, I wonder if I am not posting letters to a non-existent address.” –C.S.Lewis

"Where is God? This is one of the most disquieting symptoms. When you are happy, so happy that you have no sense of needing Him, so happy that you are tempted to feel His claims upon you as an interruption, if you remember yourself and turn to Him with gratitude and praise, you will be—or so it feels—welcomed with open arms. But go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is in vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and the sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that silence. You may as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more emphatic the silence will become. There are no lights in the windows. It might be an empty house.

Was it even inhabited? It seemed so once. And that seeming was as strong as this. What can this mean? Why is He so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so very absent a help in time of trouble?"  

C.S.-Lewis “A Grief Observed

 

At 40...

A couple of weeks ago I turned the big 4-0! Hard to believe I have been around that long. I can honestly say that I have lived a blessed life, God has been so good to me, so good that I often wonder "Why me?" My life has had it's share of pain and disappointment but nothing compared to the joy, laughter and good times I have experienced.

I have put together a list of some of the things have come my way these last 40 years. Many of you reading this were a part of some of those things. Thanks for your friendship and the memories.

So here we go...

By the age of 40....

I am married to an amazing woman and have two wonderful children who are 3 1/2 years old and 10 months.

I have been published in a national magazine

Been to California somewhere near 30 times

Lived in 3 different states

Preached to over 100,000 people with the largest being 3,000 in one day

Been to every state but eight of them

Was captain of my high school soccer team

Survived a van rolling over on the highway

Bowled a 1

Bought a house

Been a Major League Baseball chaplain

Saw U2 live twice

Scuba dived in the Pacific Ocean twice

Played for a national soccer championship in college

Owned eight cars

Have two Bachelor Degrees and working on my Masters

Been to Mexico on mission trips eight times

I have swam with Dolphins

Was in the first Spider-Man movie as an extra

Been spelunking multiple times

Have not broken a bone

Seen the Steelers win six Superbowls

Worked with hundreds of great teenagers

Watched from Mt. Washington Three Rivers Stadium implode

Been to the 911 memorial in Shanksville

Been a radio DJ for WWKS, KISS 107. Also did play by play for High School and College Football

Been a featured guest on a television show

Was the male lead in the play Arsenic and Old Lace

Lost a very good friend in a car accident at 19.

Had a serious conversation with Hulk Hogan

Fell asleep driving and crashed a truck

Went to my 10th and 20th high school reunion

Came to know Jesus at the age of 19. Best thing that ever happened to me!

There is so much more I could write, but I just can't think of anything else right now. If you know any feel free to fill them in with your comments.

Bring on the next 40!

I Thought My Wedding was Crazy!

What a great entrance...

Still Haven't Found...

"There is a true sense in which we (Christians) are-with others-seekers after the truth...no human image or concept can grasp the full reality of God. Christians are-or should be-learners to the end of their days. No learning takes place except within a tradition whose authority is accepted as guidance for exploration. No seeking can be called serious which is without any clue. Wandering around in a twilight where all cats are grey is not seeking truth. When Christians affirm, as they do, that Jesus is the way, the true and living way by whom we come to the Father (John 16:4), they are not claiming to know everything. They are claiming to be on the way, and inviting others to join them as they press forward toward the fullness of truth, toward the day when we shall know as we have been known."

-Lesslie Newbigin The Gospel In a Pluralist Society

Such is the Kingdom...

Go to the website and check it out HERE

The Problem isn't the Constitution

"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." -John Adams

Maybe this is why things in government just don't work anymore.

Sad. Pray we wake up and return to our God.

Required Viewing

On the fourth of July as we celebrate our freedom which has cost so many so much. You should make some time today or in the next few days to pick up the movie Taking Chance.

It is the simple story of the delivery of a fallen soldier's body from the Iraq war being returned to his family and the escort who makes that journey.

It is a true story based on Col. Michael Strobl played by Kevin Bacon escorting the body of fallen Marine Chance Phelps from Delaware to Wyoming. The movie is beautiful, heart wrenching, enlightening and somber. It is filled with honor and dignity. It reminds us that real people are dying, sons and daughters, and friends of real people. You will find yourself with tears in your eyes at many places in this movie.

It takes us beyond the pictures we see of fallen soldiers and confronts us with the process of what happens from start to finish when a soldier dies. Watching it as a father was difficult but necessary for there are many fathers who have laid their sons and daughters on the altar of freedom.

Happy fourth everyone, never forget what was paid to get us here.

mark

Picking Justice

     

Got the book Picking Cotton in the mail yesterday and couldn't put it down, in fact I finished the book (over 300 pages) in one day. What a fantastic book and story of redemption, justice and forgiveness. It is the story of two people tragically thrown together because of a crime and mistaken identity.

Here is a snapshot of the book.

College student, Jennifer Thompson, was raped in 1984 at knifepoint by a man who broke into her apartment while she slept. Wearing only a blanket, she escaped and told police she was certain she could identify the man who had been inches from her face. She eventually picked Ronald Cotton out of a lineup. Ronald insisted that she was mistaken—but Jennifer's positive identification was the compelling evidence that put him behind bars. After serving eleven years in prison for a crime he never committed, Ronald was released when a DNA test proved his innocence.

Two years later, Jennifer and Ronald met face to face--and forged an unlikely friendship that changed both of their lives. In this true and inspiring story, Jennifer and Ronald offer an unprecedented first-person glimpse into what happens when the system fails both the victim and the accused. Paced like the most riveting of thrillers and packed with page-turning twists and turns, this unforgettable book challenges our ideas of memory and judgment while demonstrating the profound nature of human grace and the healing power of forgiveness. 

The book is a beautiful picture of justice finally being done, and a man Ronald Cotton who spends eleven years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, finds the faith to forgive the women who sent him to prison and go beyond forgiveness to forge a friendship with her that will last a lifetime.

If your looking for a great summer read, or just want to be reminded how beautiful forgiveness is, you must read this book.

Here is the trailer for the book: 

Pittsburgh is Title Town USA!

Congrats to the Pens! Not since 1979 has Pittsburgh had two world champs in the same season. The last time was the Pirates and the Steelers. Take my word for it the cover of next weeks Sports Illustrated will have Ben Roethlisberger and Sidney Crosby on it.

Here is the original Sports illustrated cover from 1979 when we were originally title town.

The Laughing Jesus

Thanks Mark Driscoll for talking about this subject! So if you take yourself too seriously or need a reminder of the fact that Jesus was pretty cool to hang out with, watch this!